


Age Of Eric

by 2Elenora2



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Age Of Adaline, Alternate Universe - Age of Adaline Fusion, Angst, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, History, Multi, Probably not?, Sad, Slow Burn, World War I, but like here it is, did anyone ask for this, eric is like, hopefully it's accurate, so deal with it, super old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 19:03:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19751893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2Elenora2/pseuds/2Elenora2
Summary: Eric Bittle has lived a long life, in fact, he’s 127 years old. For his whole life he has tried to stay hidden while figuring out why he has lived so long. But now, he’s decided to stop trying to figure out the mystery. It’s time to live. And if that involves enrolling in University and playing hockey, falling in love and opening his heart again, then so be it.Is this the Age of Adaline AU no one asked for? It sure is.





	1. From day one

**1891**

He was a small baby, as compared to many that were born that year. His fingers were small and his feet were chubby. Everything a mother could want with her baby. She stared into her child’s face, vowing to protect him from everything nasty the world has to offer. He cried softly, unlike any other baby she had known of.

“Eric, my darling, I will give you this world and so much more.” She promised with a smile.

But as much as she wanted to see this child grow old, see his firsts, his ups and down, she never made it to his first birthday. Sickness was prevalent in the small community, and unfortunately it had taken his mother.

His father tried his best, he really did. He worked his hardest to be able to provide for Eric. A small home, few belongings and at least one meal a day is what Eric grew up on. That and the caregiver, Gloria, who cared for him while his father worked.

It was a simple life. Quiet, good.

That was until one day his father sat down with him, at ten years old.

“Eric. I have something to tell you…” Eric looked at his father, waiting for him to continue, but he never did. He simply clutched his heart and fell to the ground and the next morning when Gloria came around, she found Eric next to his father’s body. She loved him like a son, and so, without hesitation she took Eric’s hand and continued to love the boy as if he were her own.

**1911**

“Happy Birthday!” Gloria cheered, presenting Eric with a cake. It was chocolate, his favourite. Times were tough for them both. Eric was working long hours in a factory, Gloria was working in a bakery. “The bakery had some chocolate.”

“Thank you.” Eric grinned. Gloria pressed a kiss to his head and then sang happy birthday to him.

“How old are you these days?” she asked.

“As if you don’t know.” Eric laughed. He was twenty years old, and little did he know that his face would never age another day, that he stay frozen as a twenty year old for the next one hundred and twenty seven years.

**Today, 2018.**

Eric knew one too many graves. His mother, his father, Gloria and friends here and there. He spoke to Gloria often, she was a mother and a friend to him. She didn’t even batter an eyelid when they both began to notice that birthdays had come and passed and he was not aging. She loved him, and it was this love that meant she did not fear him.

Her not freaking out helped Eric remain calm when he was celebrating his 40th birthday and a bartender asked how old he was and he had to lie and say twenty one, like every other birthday.

“Well, I’m officially one hundred and twenty seven years old this year.” He said to Gloria. “And its taken me that long to enrol in university.”

He pressed his hand to the earth and smiled, thinking about what Gloria might say. She might laugh at him, tell him to pursue his dreams, scoff and say “you, college? You procrastinate too much.” Either way, she’d be proud.

“I wish you were here to drive me to college.” He said. She’d been gone so long he’d forgotten the sound of her voice.

His first day on campus was a lot to take in.

There were people everywhere, many of who were carrying boxes and bags. Many of them were flanked by people who Eric could only assume were his parents.

As someone who moved around a lot, Eric didn’t have many things. In fact, all that he owned fit into a large suitcase and a backpack. Between these two items, and a map, Eric found himself struggling slightly to get to his dorm room, and the watch on his wrist was telling him he had a campus tour.

_Damnit!_

He looked around frantically, hoping to see a member of orientation staff who could show him the way.

“You look a little lost.” Said a voice from behind. Eric spun around (as fast as he could with the suitcase) and grinned.

“Just a little.” He admitted to the girl. She was short, much like Eric. She had dark hair and dark eyes and a very big grin. “I’m uh, looking for my dorm.”

“Same here, where are you off to?” Eric handed her his paper with his dorm details on it. “Well follow me, neighbour.”

“Neighbour?” He asked.

“Room 28 and room 29, neighbours. Anyway, I’m Larissa but everyone calls me Lardo.”

“I’m Eric.”

And from there, a friendship formed. Something Eric had not had in a long time.

~*~

Living the life Eric has lived, he has learnt that privacy is invaluable. So he applied for a single room. He can’t have people snooping around his things. There’s too much there. The photo album, letters to and from Gloria, his diary from when he began realising he wasn’t aging.

He’d saved up over the years. Put money away for when he’d eventually have to go underground.

He and Lardo found the rooms easily. They were right at the end of the hall.

The room itself was quite small. The bed was in the corner under some shelves, with a small desk wedged beside it. Next to the door, there was a wardrobe.

The room was basic, but it would do.

Eric put his stuff on the bed and sat down. This was a new chapter in his long life. It was a breath of fresh air, a change, a new chance to do something more with his life. For so long he spent his time staying under the radar, moving around, never settling.

This was something stable in his life.

There was a knock at his door and he turned and saw Lardo standing there.

“We have to go shopping together. These rooms are so boring!” She said, coming in and sitting on his desk chair. “Like, I have some fairy lights and stuff but that is so not going to be enough.”

“Yeah. It’s so bland in here!” Eric laughed.

“The good thing is that we don’t have roommates to compete with. I honestly am so glad I can just hang my paintings and not have someone whine about them!”

“Paintings?” Eric asked.

“Yeah. I’m an artist.” Lardo grinned.

“You’ll have to paint me something.” Eric liked this. Making friends. He hadn’t done this in years. Besides, what would be the point? He’d cultivate these friendships, gets invested in peoples lives. Then, in a few years he’d have to drop off the face of the earth.

Or he’d stay too long and people would start to question things. That was always the worst, when people would begin noticing.

Breaking off the friendship was always brutal. He’d just stop talking to people, and he’d move away. Some messages would still come through, asking him what was going on. Why he had moved away. Why he wasn’t speaking to them anymore. He’d simply say, _sorry. I can’t do this anymore._ He’d never hear from them again.

He figured, at least with college, he’d get about five years to make friends, and then he’d graduate and never speak to these people again. It’d be easy. No messages telling anyone he couldn’t do it anymore, just simply moving away, gaining distance until it was irreconcilable.

“I’m currently in a sunflower phase so…”

“Are you kidding me? I love sunflowers.”


	2. The Expo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric and Lardo go to the Expo, where Eric meets the Samwell Hockey teams one and only Shitty.

**1912**

“Eric, can you come here please?” Gloria called from the kitchen. Eric had just returned home from the factory, and he poked his head into the kitchen. Gloria was at the bench, kneading dough to make a pie. She was always baking. She could make anything people asked, and if on the odd occasion that she had no idea how to make it, she would spend hours in the kitchen figuring it out.

From when he was little, back before his father died, when Gloria would look after him, they would bake pies whenever they could. He enjoyed it. It was one of the many things Gloria taught him.

“Yes?” He asked.

“Sit down.” She said, gesturing to the small dining table. Gloria dusted her hands off and sat down opposite Eric. “How would you feel about moving?”

“I would be okay with it. Why?”

“I know you’re an adult, and you’re more than welcome to not come with me.”

“Gloria, we’re family. We need each other. So just spill, please. You’re making me nervous.” Eric said. That was true. He loved Gloria as if she were his birth mother. She took him in when there was no one else and he couldn’t bare being separated from her.

“I was thinking Australia.”

“Australia?!” Eric asked in alarm.

“Yes-”

“That’s more than just a move, Gloria!”

“I know, Eric. But things are hard here.” She sighed. Eric knew that. He wasn’t stupid. Gloria would be up at four in the morning, heading off to the bakery and making that mornings bread. She would be there all day, closing the shop when they had sold out by late afternoon. “A women I worked at with years ago sent me a letter saying that she has opened a bakery, and would love to have me there.”

Eric nodded, taking in the information. This was such a big opportunity for Gloria, he knew that. From the sounds of things, it looked like she could one day run the bakery.

“Okay.” Eric said. For Gloria.

“This is going to be an adventure. I just know it.” She grinned.

~*~

**Today** _._

The first week of actual classes was insane, to put it simply. Eric was running around, getting textbooks and finding his classes (two of which were on opposite ends of campus, and right after each other!). He complained to Lardo about how annoying it was, and all she did was laugh.

“You could have a little bit more compassion!” He said.

“Welcome to the college life.” Lardo sighed. “Talking about college life, why don’t we go to that Samwell Expo?”

“You are brilliant, Lardo!” He shouted, jumping up from his bed.

The expo was set up in the main quad. There were marquees everywhere, each one had an assortment of people hanging around. There were singing clubs, rowing clubs, dance clubs, even a Dungeons and Dragons club. There weren’t many people there though, Eric had noticed.

Lardo and Eric spent some time walking around before Eric heard someone shout her name.

She spun on her heel, and took off towards the Samwell Hockey teams booth. She leaped into the arms of a guy, who to Erics’ amusement, had long flowing hair and what he could only describe as a porn-stache.

Eric wandered over to the booth. Lardo and the man were involved in intense conversation. Eric had picked up some pamphlets and was reading through them. They had a variety of slogans written across them, _Join the team!_ And _#hockey_. His favourite was _Check, Please_.

Maybe hockey wasn’t a bad idea. It would fill in some time.

“Eric!” Lardo shouted, she had finally noticed he was standing there. “This is Shitty.”

“Uh,”

“It’s a hockey nickname.” He explained.

“Right uh, I’m Bitty.” Eric stuck out his hand, and Shittys’ eyebrows shot up his forehead.

“You play hockey?”

“I know it doesn’t look like it.” Eric laughed.

“Well, you are much shorter than our average players.” Shitty muttered as he searched through the pile of pamphlets. “Come to tryouts. Most of the team graduated last year, so we have a few positions to fill.”

“I’ll be there.”

_Oh crap._ Eric thought. _I haven’t played hockey in years._

~*~

The tryouts were at seven in the morning. Eric had never been a morning person, but he learned to be. There were many times in his life when he had to be out of bed at the crack of dawn.

Eric groaned as he rolled out of bed.

He made his way to Faber, skates in hand. That’s all he had from his ice-hockey days. He long ago left his hockey equipment behind when he had to take a break from skating. As much as it pained him to do so, he stopped skating when people began to notice him.

Recruiters would come up to him, and offer him a place at training camp. He would always have to say no. He couldn’t build a future.

After one particular game, a recruiter had come up to him and offered him a spot in a training camp.

“I feel like I have been trying to recruit you forever, Mr Bittle.” The man joked. Eric had forced out a laugh, but often comments like these were warnings Eric had stayed in the one place for too long, that people were beginning to notice. Eric couldn’t remember what he said next, but all he knew was that he took the man’s card and disappeared the next day.

_Four years._ Eric though to himself. _I have four years._

The walk to the arena was quiet. Nobody was around, and Eric loved the quiet. He truly was an old man.

Stepping into the arena was like breathing a breath of fresh air. For as long as he had lived, ice arena’s had always smelt like home. He had spent so much time in them, and had so many good memories surrounding them.

There were guys already on the ice, skating lazily around the perimeter of the rink.

“Welcome to Faber!” Shitty called, making his way over.

“There’s a lot of red-and white.”

“It is Samwell’s colours.”

“True. Now hustle, Cap doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

_Captain?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I oop…  
> Sorry it has been so long since I have posted, and I wont bore you with excuses! It was so university... (see, laziness).  
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. it was a bit off a fluff piece, I needed to somehow connect Eric with the team!


	3. Pinky Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Try outs, drills and pinky promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a chapter warning for pain, blood and gore, possibly.

As soon the man stepped out onto the ice, Eric was struck with how beautiful he was. He was tall, had dark hair and these incredible blue eyes. Something tugged at his memory. Those eyes, he could swear he has seen them before.

“Alright. Everyone line up. We are starting with suicide sprints.” There was a collective groan amongst the new recruits.

Without a doubt, this was one of the harder team tryouts Eric had faced. They started off doing sprints, and then they started passing the puck around. Eric felt himself slip into his familiar stance, he weaved the puck between cones before passing it off to another player, who in turn passed it to Eric once he was closer to the goal. Eric flicked it in, sending the puck speeding past the goalie.

“Hot damn!” Shitty shouted. He heard Lardo let out a yell.

~*~

“Okay. I’ve spoken with the coaches, and the following people, please step off the ice.” He began reading names, and Eric was shocked to realise that he did not want his name on that list.

Being on the ice again, he realised just how much he missed it. Missed the way his chest heaved for breaths, and how the cold air was a stark contrast to the heat across his body. He wanted to be here, to be on this team. He wanted this more than he had wanted anything else in a long time.

“Now, thank you for coming, you are all more than welcome to try again next year. The rest of you, follow me to the locker room.”

Eric was on the team, and his chest felt warmth. A team. Something he hadn’t heard in a long time.

“My man!” Shitty said, clapping Eric on the shoulder. “What a little speed demon you are.”

“I have heard that before.” Eric laughed. _Many, many times._

~*~

Showering in a locker room was almost second nature to Eric. For most of his life, this was something he’d done after every practice, game or competition. The laughter, the noise and even the smell was familiar. No matter how gross it was.

Eric pulled his shirt up over his head.

“Yo, that’s one mad scar.” Shitty said, coming to inspect his lower back. Eric winced, the memory rising to the surface.

~*~

**1917**

It was a spot that they were warned about. A simple gap in the trench where bullets would fly through. A place where a grenade had landed and shattered the wall that they had built. He had to pass, and it was something he had done a million times before.

This time, as he slipped through he felt a searing pain in his lower back. He yelled out, and fell to the floor.

When he awoke, all he could feel was searing pain. It was deep in his back, the bullet, and he could feel the doctor digging around, trying to retrieve it.

“Keep him still.” Someone said. He could feel them digging around in his lower back, and they weren’t being gentle either. Not that there could be a nice or gentle way to remove a bullet. He felt strong hands on his back, holding him down.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” A voice whispered in his ear. Eric sighed. The voice was familiar, and was almost enough to drown out the pain. Eric closed his eyes, and felt a tear slip from them.

The pain began again, and he couldn’t stand it a moment longer. He was about to beg them to stop when he heard a ‘clink’, and the doctor announce: “It’s out.”

“Finally.”

“You took a pretty nasty hit, Bittle.” The medic said, kneeling down next to Eric’s bedside. “We will have to send you home.”

“No,” Eric whimpered. “I can’t leave them.”

_I can’t leave him._

When Eric woke, it was hours later.

“They’re taking you to the station now.” He said, placing a hand on Erics cheek. Eric was still on his stomach, unable to flip himself over without bringing enormous amounts of pain.

“I don’t want to go.” Eric whispered.

“You can’t even stand, Eric.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“I’ll be okay.” He said, pressing a light kiss to Erics lips. “I’ll come back to you.”

“Pinky promise?” Eric raised his arm, and the two locked pinkies.


	4. The Kegster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric and Lardo attend their first Kegster, and Eric relives a memory involving a special someone.

Eric was minding his own business, reading through his class notes when Lardo burst into his room. She threw herself on the bed next to him. She didn’t say a word, instead she continued scrolling on her phone.

They often sat like this. In silence. On their phones, reading their notes. It was nice, being able to spend time with someone like this. No expectations, no need to keep up any sort of chit-chat.

After a few minutes of silence, Lardo jumped up.

“There’s a party on at the Haus tonight.”

“The what?”

“The hockey teams frat house.” Lardo stated, as if this were something that absolutely everyone knew. “So anyway, party tonight, you in?”

“Of course I am.” Eric said. His first collage party? Gloria would be so proud.

~*~

Apparently, everyone knew that the Haus was the hockey team frat house.

The place was crowded, so Eric was unable to actually see much of the house. But from what he gathered, it was very much a boys space. Mismatched furniture, a coffee table that looked like it would hold no weight. There were chips in the walls and some of the floorboards were slightly uneven.

What struck him most about the place was the way it pulled at a memory. Eric closed his eyes for a moment and let the memory surface.

~*~

**1914**

It was strange, the air still being warm at this time of year. It reminded him of growing up in the south and Eric quite enjoyed it. He loved spending summer in the sun and the way it made his hair lighter and his freckles bolder. After a hard days work at the bakery, lifting sacks of flour and mixing dough, Eric was ready for some downtime and so he knocked on an unassuming door.

A tall man opened the door and ushered him in quickly and shut the door firmly. Eric found himself sliding through a slender hallway that smelt densely of cigarette smoke, before coming to the stairs. The stairs were at a terribly steep angle, and he found himself gripping to the railing. He could hear chatter from below, and music being played.

He opened the door, and several people turned around and greeted him. This place, even though he hadn’t been coming for a long time, he had made many friends here. He trusted the people in here, and they trusted him. It was a weird relationship he had with the people in the pub. Eric often visited this place, Duncan’s, as it was so called.

He sat himself down at the bar and ordered a drink. He always drank the same thing, and was always sure not to drink too much, especially when he had to be at work early in the morning.

When Eric tried to pay, the bartender said it was taken care of and gestured towards a very handsome man, sitting at the end of the bar. The man smiled sheepishly, and Eric tipped his drink towards the man. Eric did not recognise the man, like he had with so many others in the room.

He was very handsome, that much was obvious. His black hair fell over his eyes as he continued to hold Eric’s gaze. What struck Eric most about this man was his eyes. They were a beautiful icy blue. He felt like he could look at them for the rest of his life. This was nice, flirting with someone. It was something Eric had never really done before.

Being gay, it was dangerous. He often heard the gossip, and the harsh way people would speak about it, and a chill would run down his spine. There were stories of violence that made him sick to his stomach.

He’d known he was gay for a long time, and that always brought a big black cloud over his life. He knew he would have to find a wife one day and have children with her, and it saddened him because that was not the life he wanted to live, and he knew she would have to carry the burden of having a husband who would never love her in a way that a husband should love his wife.

“You seem very despondent for someone who just had their drink bought by a very handsome stranger.” He said, sliding into the empty seat next to Eric. He was startled at first, he hadn’t even noticed the man approach him.

“Not despondent. Just thinking, that’s all.” Eric shook his head and smiled at the man. “But thanks for the drink.”

“Anything for a man as gorgeous as yourself.” He grinned and Eric couldn’t help but be dazzled by his smile.

“You charmer.” He laughed. “I’m Eric.”

“Xavier.”

**~*~**

**Today.**

Eric was absolutely shocked by the Kegster, as Shitty had dubbed it. He had been to many parties in his life, _many._ None were quite as crazy as this one. On his way in, he had passed Shitty pouring multiple bottles of alcohol into a tub, cackling manically.

“Eric, my dude! Grab a cup of Tub Juice!” He announced. Eric was about to pass on whatever concoction he was making, but Shitty had already thrust cups into their hands. He had a feeling that whatever was in this meant that he was going to end the night passed out in a ditch.

There was a strange mix of music, Eric realised. He had come in and Queen had been playing, then there was some weird techno music and now there was some sort of opera.

“Now this is a party.” Lardo said, tapping their plastic cups together. 

“It sure is.”

As the party raged on, Eric found himself separated from Lardo. He didn’t mind though, he spotted her standing awfully close to Shitty.

Eventually, he bumped into two ridiculously tall people. They both shook his hand, and introduced themselves as Ransom and Holster. Eric was startled for a moment, but then recognised the two men as the team’s defensemen.

“We were hoping we’d bump into you.” Holster said- at least Eric thought it was. “Fastest feet I’ve ever seen on a player, that’s for sure.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“No worries! Now listen.” All of a sudden, they both seemed so serious. “We, as your defensemen, will protect you with our burly strength!”

“We will block those goons and allow our speedster to rocket towards the goal and get us to the Frozen Four!” The other, Ransom, cheered.

“Thanks?”

“You’re welcome.” They said in unison. They both fist bumped Eric and wandered back into the crowd.

 _Strange._ Eric thought.

As the night continued, the clock ticking well beyond midnight, Eric had watched the crowd dissipate, until there were very few left. Shitty had ushered most of them out, but left the hockey team where they had crashed and passed out.

“We take care of each other.” Shitty said, pointing a finger at Eric, before wandering upstairs with the help of Lardo.

“Wait for me and we can walk back together?” She asked. Eric nodded.

While he was waiting, he continued to explore the Haus and eventually, he wandered into the kitchen and gasped at the state of it.

 _Blasphemous!_ He thought. The kitchen was littered with red cups, empty beer bottles and the counter was smeared with different kinds of dips and crushed Doritos. So, in typical Eric fashion, like the good southern boy he is, raided the cupboards for trash bags. He looked under the sink first, in the place where he would keep them, and only found an Ouija board, snapped in half.

So he continued his search. He looked through the drawers, which were atrocious. The boys in this house seemed to just chuck the cutlery in any drawer they chose.

It was probably a bad idea to look through someone else’s cupboards, especially those of a frat house that contained jocks.

  1. A cupboard filled with mugs that all had up close pictures of Shittys' face. You could even see crumbs in his moustache and a booger in his nose.
  2. One cupboard was filled with condoms, and Eric almost shrieked when he opened it. That was one of the last things he expected.
  3. A whole cupboard filled with siracha.
  4. Finally, bin bags. In a tiny little cupboard near the sink.



Now armed with a bag, Eric began to clean up. He had finished clearing all the cups when he heard someone cough behind him.

“Oh, uh,” Eric said, facing Jack.

“You don’t have to do that.” He said gruffly, opening the fridge. Eric looked at Jack for a moment. He wasn’t paying attention, he was too busy pulling out a shake. Eric rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning up. “I’m serious. I’ll make the guys do that tomorrow.”

“It’s honestly fine. Everyone is passed out and Lardo is putting Shitty to bed.” Eric shrugged. “Besides, if you don’t get this dip off the counter now, it’s never coming off.”

“Alright, well, if you’re done with the bag I’ll take it.” He held out his hand and took the bag off of Eric.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t forget there’s practice tomorrow afternoon.” Jack said no more to Eric, and disappeared with the bag. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. As always, feel free to drop a comment. If there are any typos, please let me know so I can fix it up. 
> 
> Eleanora x


	5. Assist

He and Lardo walked home together, both side by side under the street lamps. They were quiet for a moment, only the sounds of their feet could be heard. Lardo was walking very close to him, and Eric could sense an unease about her. He knew why of course. He had walked plenty of women home in his life, making sure they got back safely.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m good.” She sighed.

“I’ve got you, okay?” Eric put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

“That party sure was something.” Lardo muttered.

“You mean Shitty.” Lardo laughed heartily and waved her student card at the dorm doors, letting them both in. Once they were safely inside, Lardo spun around and smiled at Eric.

“He’s nice.” Lardo stated. “He actually cares about what I have to say.”

“That’s good.”

“Other guys I have known have used me. And I don’t see him doing that.”

“Me either. He seems like an honest guy.”

“But, I also don’t want a relationship.” She sighed heavily and the two headed for the stairs. Eric knew the feeling. Throughout the years, love interests have come and gone. Nothing more than a short lived flame. After he realised he’d never grow old with someone, he stopped yearning for a life with someone. He had Gloria, and as he watched her age, Eric began to realise that aging was a frightening thing.

They paused at their respective doors, saying goodnight before venturing into their rooms.

And when Eric dreamt at night, he dreamed of his life long lived.

~*~

Eric woke up to the sun shining through his curtains. Whatever Shitty had put in the tub Juice had left him with a nasty headache. He sighed loudly, and drank water that he had left on his bedside. He was always good at being able to handle his alcohol. But for some reason, whatever god awful concoction Shitty had brewed had left him, for the most part, slightly hungover.

After taking some painkillers he rolled over and went back to sleep, only to be awoken an hour or so later by Lardo knocking on his door.

“Do you have anything for my headache?” She asked, coming in, her fingers gently rubbing his temples. Eric nodded and pointed towards the packet he had chucked to the side earlier. “Thanks.”

“Whatever he put in that tub juice was gnarly.”

“You can say that again.” Eric rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and suggested they go down to the cafeteria and get something for breakfast.

The cafeteria was mostly empty at this time, many having left already for their early morning classes. They had their trays stacked with food, and they sat down at an empty table

“Is it just me or does Jack seem off to you?” Eric said.

“He’s very reserved.” Lardo noted. “Shitty had called him ‘hockey-sexual’.”

“Huh, I don’t think he likes me very much.”

“I’m sure he does.”

“Nothing the captain does inspires that sense into me.” Eric shrugged and picked at his food.

The semester dragged by and Eric spent a lot of time studying in his room with Lardo on the floor working on art for a variety of her classed. As promised, there was a large canvas hanging on Erics wall with tall, beautiful sunflowers painted on it. He had come into his room one day to find it hanging there. His heart warmed at the gesture. It had been so long since he had been given a gift where someone put so much time and effort into it.

“When you’re a famous artist one day, and this piece is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, I’ll tell every collector to get stuffed.” Lardo laughed heartily at this and hugged Eric tightly.

Between classes and hockey practice, Eric found himself fitting in well with the team. He had taken a particular liking to Shitty, who could probably talk someone’s ear off as well as Eric could when he was nervous.

But Jack, there was something Eric couldn’t put his finger on. The way Jack would look at Eric when he was hanging around, like he didn’t quite want Eric to be there would put him on edge. Or slight comments he would make would leave Eric confused.

There were plenty of awkward moments with Jack, especially during practice. He would often snap at Eric, and Eric would find that he would get off the ice and want to punch the wall in the showers.

“It’s coming up to the beginning of the season, and the Captain always gets antsy. Don’t take it personally.”

Except the thing was, Eric did take it personally. Jack didn’t snap at anyone else. Sure, he would use his captain voice, and you could hear the annoyance in his voice. But Eric was the only one Jack did this to.

“C’mon Eric, get with it or get off the team.” He snapped one practice after Eric had missed a pass from Holster.

“He missed one pass.” Shitty clapped Jack on the back as he skated over.

“Yeah well one missed pass could cost us the game.”

Aside from tensions with the captain, assignments and an attempt at social life, Eric was really enjoying his time at Samwell.

Eric spent a lot of his free time around the Haus. He found that hanging around the Haus with the team felt like a part of him that had been missing was finally returned.

Eric was in the kitchen, chatting to Lardo and Shitty. Shitty had just put in a tray of chicken nuggets when a thought struck Eric.

“Does the oven _actually_ work?” Eric asked.

“No, I’m just chucking these frozen nuggets in just for appearances because I like eating raw chicken.” Shitty said, laughing at Eric. “Of course it works. Why?”

“Well…”

Three hours later, Eric had been to the store, come back to the Haus and baked three pies. One apple and cinnamon, one blueberry and one pecan. By the time he was pulling the third one out of the oven (it was more cooked in some places then others, but never mind that), all members in the Haus had gathered in the kitchen. Except Jack. No surprise there.

“Jesus Christ that smells good.” Shitty said, reaching for one of the pies.

“You will not touch that.” Eric said harshly, waving a serving spoon at him. “I’ll get you a piece.”

Eric began serving up one of the pies, handing them to Shitty, Lardo, Ransom and Holster, who began to moan obscenely as they ate the pie.

“What the fuck, Eric? Why didn’t you tell us you could cook this good.” Shitty said, scrapping the plate to get any remanets of pie.

“Well, I didn’t think that the oven worked so.” Eric shrugged.

“Can I marry you?” Holster asked.

“No! I’m calling dibs!” Ransom sulked.

“Neither of you are marrying me.” Eric waved his finger at them both.

~*~

It wasn’t long before Samwell had their first game.

Luckily for them, they were at Faber, and Boston university was making their way to Samwell.

“Alright, mother fuckers.” Shitty said as they began warming up on the ice. “We want to start this season off with a goddamn win. We work together, we win. Now, onto Jack, our beloved captain who stayed up most of the night watching tapes Boston.”

“Okay so, there are two key players we have to watch out for. Number four, who is one of the heavier men on the ice today.” Jack was looking around at everyone on the team, making sure that they all were paying attention. “And number nine. He’s fast. But Eric, I think you’re faster. So if you can manage to get the puck down the ice -past number four, we could be scoring a number of goals.”

Eric was shocked. _That almost sounded like a complement._ With everyone armed with this knowledge, Jack sent everyone to skate laps around the rink.

Soon, they were ready for the game.

~*~

It was last period, and it was tied, 2-2. It was crunch time.

With a few seconds left on the clock, and Eric right by the goal, he saw Shitty with the puck. The two locked eyes and with a swift flick of the wrist, the puck was passed to Eric who shot it right into the goal.

The arena erupted into cheers. It was so loud that they could not even hear the buzzer sound. Eric felt Shitty crash into him, wrapping him into a hug.

“Holy shit!” He yelled into Erics’ ear.

It wasn’t long before Eric was dog piled upon. Everyone was cheering and laughing. Winning this first game gave Eric hope for the rest of the year. He felt like these would be the best few years of his life.

After, when everyone had untangled themselves, they began to form a line and began shaking hands. When Eric happened upon number nine, he smiled at the player.

“The speedy ones hold the game in their hands.” Number four said, shaking Erics’ head.

“We sure do.”

~*~

When they were off the ice and in the locker room, Jack congratulated the team on winning and hugged Shitty tightly, but he did not say one thing to Eric at all.

“I just took the winning shot but okay.” Eric muttered to himself as he peeled off his uniform. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet. Here's another chapters m'dudes.   
> Well, apologises for any inconsistencies in my writing, such as using an apostrophe on one word but later not using it on the same.


	6. Dead weight

Things came to a head one cold morning. The team were all getting ready to go for a run and Eric had woken up a little late and so met the team as they ran past the dorms. Eric joined the back of the line and Jack, who was up front, had fallen back to run with Eric.

“Why were you late?”

“I slept past my alarm. Sorry.”

“We are a team, Eric. And if you are not going to take things seriously and slack off you should quit. We don’t need dead weight on the team.” It was harsh, Eric knew that. And usually he would take what Jack would say on board and not argue with the Captain.

Eric stopped suddenly and looked at Jack. Anger was boiling under the surface of his skin and honestly, he had enough of the comments, the suggestions for him to drop off the team and the way Jack would constantly snap at him during practice.

“ _Dead weight?”_ Eric hissed and Jack put stopped in his tracks.

The whole team stopped, and turned and looked at the two of them.

“Guys-” Shitty said, pushing his way past the team.

“No.” Eric looked him dead in the eye and Shitty paused. Eric turned back to Jack. “Dead weight, huh? Maybe I dread coming to practice every day because you’re such an ass! You make snide remarks to me all the time, call me dead weight, tell me to quit the team if I can’t keep up. If I’m such a dead weight then why did Shitty and I score the winning goal, huh?”

“It was a lucky shot.”

“Screw you, Jack.” Eric snapped.

He turned on his feet and walked back to the dorms, fighting back tears.

“Shit, you really messed up.” Shitty said, putting his hand on Jacks shoulder. “Bad.”

~*~

Eric sat down on his bed and burst into tears. Calling Eric ‘dead weight’ had hurt. It was as if Jack saw Eric as lazy and not putting effort into hockey. But the thing is, Eric did. Every practice he put 100% into.

And a lucky shot? That cut him deep. It was not a lucky shot, and Jack knew that. What had he done to make Jack hate him so much?

There was a sharp knock on the door, and when Eric answered it, Shitty was standing there.

“If you’re coming here to defend him, don’t.”

“I’m not, I promise.” Shitty said as he came into the room, closing the door behind him. “He was a real dick to you.”

“Yeah. He was.” Eric wiped at his eyes.

“Jesus, come here.” Shitty said, drawing Eric into a tight hug. The two hugged for what Eric thought was longer than necessary, before they migrated to the bed. Shitty had made himself comfortable, sitting up against the pillow before motioning for Eric to lay his head on Shittys lap. “I honestly don’t know what his problem is.”

“Do you think it’s because…” Eric wiped at his eyes, “I’m… gay?”

Shitty was blindsided by both the question and the fact that Eric had just come out to him.

“God, no. Eric. We are not those kind of people on this team. If someone is, we educate them. If that doesn’t work then they’re out. It’s not just our policy as a team. But the university as a whole. One in four, maybe more.”

“Okay.”

“But hey. Thanks for trusting me with that.”

Eric laughed. “No worries. To be completely honest with you, I did have a bunch of palm cards. I was planning on using them to come out to you.”

“Honoured.” Shitty sniffled and pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

~*~

After the fight with Jack and reassurance from Shitty, Eric seriously contemplated his place on the team. He didn’t need that negativity in his life. He sure as hell didn’t need that kind of pressure. It was his first year at university and he wanted to do well and maintain a good GPA. That meant he would have to work extra hard to make school and practice fit. If Jack was going to continue to be so harsh, why put that added pressure on himself?

If he were to quit, would he loose the hockey team as friends? Would he have to stop hanging around the Haus because it would be awkward. He didn’t want that, he loved the team.

Eric shook his head as if he were trying to erase those thoughts like he would erase drawings on his Etch A Sketch. Gloria didn’t raise a quitter, and his southern blood sure as hell meant he wasn’t a quitter either. His decision was final.

Eric wished for a moment Gloria was alive. She would have wonderfully wise words for him. For most of his life, she would always be there for him. But ever since she died, Eric could not help but wonder what she would say to him in every situation that arose.

**1917, Christmas Eve.**

“That is it.” Gloria said, coming into his room. She was covered in flour and had a wooden spoon in one hand. Eric shivered, thinking for a moment she was going to beat him with it. He wouldn’t blame her, he was a disappointment. “Get up.”

“I’m injured.” He said simply.

“No, you’re depressed.”

“Just leave me alone.” Eric groaned loudly and pulled the cover further up his chest.

“It is Christmas Eric, and God forbid you make me bake this pie alone and break tradition.” She had come over to him and held her hand out. It took all the strength he had to sit up and take it. Gloria helped him out of bed and they went out into the kitchen. He will admit, he did feel better with his hands deep in pie crust.

“I didn’t even realise it was Christmas Eve.” Eric said.

“You haven’t left that bed in a while, so I’m not surprised. But Eric, I need you to listen to me.” Gloria grabbed him by the chin and looked him in the eyes. “Shit happens, there’s no doubt in that. We can’t control that. But when shit happens, what we can control is how we react. We can curl up in a ball, or we can get up and grab a shovel and start shovelin’. I’m not saying don’t feel things, by all means how we feel is so important, but we can’t let the bad stuff win. If we do, then the good times will go right by us.”

Eric absorbed the words while Gloria made the pie filling.

**Today.**

Eric was not going to opt out of practice this morning. He was sure of that. Missing even one practice would presume defeat. So, he decided to head in early and skate around the rink before practice.

When he stepped on the ice free of pads or hockey equipment, he felt something take over his body. He glided lightly to the middle and posed, leg tucked behind his ankle and arms stretched up to the roof. He slowly felt himself loosen up and his arms came down and he began skating backwards.

It had been a while since he figure skated. Eric casted his mind back, and the last time he figure skated professionally was in 2010. He missed it so desperately, he entered into a competition and then found himself on a team. They went far, and it was only when someone kept looking at him as if they were trying to place his face that Eric decided he needed to take another few decades off from figure skating before someone figured out that they did know him, and that he still looked the same as the day that they met. He ended up leaving his skates at the rink with a note telling the team to give these to someone who needed them.

As he continued to dance around the rink, he attempted a few jumps, but did a terrible job without the shoe pick. That and he was very much out of practice.

By the time he had finished, he spotted Jack over by the edge of the rink.

“Jesus.” Eric said, clutching his chest. “Don’t sneak up on someone like that.”

“Sorry.” Jack cleared his throat. “Not for just scaring you. I am sorry. Really.”

Eric didn’t want to press the matter further, or yell at Jack for treating Eric that way. They wouldn’t get anywhere like that. Eric hoped Jack was sincere and that it wasn’t just because Shitty had some stern words with him. Eric loved this team, loved playing hockey again and if Jack couldn’t speak to him nicely then Eric didn’t know what he would do. Eric stepped off the ice and began to stretch while he waited for the rest of the team to show up.

Shitty came in first and sat down next to Eric.

“Glad you came.” He said bumping into Erics shoulder.

“Me too.” Eric admitted. “I just hope everything goes well.”

“I did speak to him and he was really sorry.”

“He did apologise to me.”

“Good.” Shitty clapped a hand against Eric and the two made their way to the locker room as everyone else began to filter in shortly after that exchange, and practice began.

Practice wasn’t as tense as Eric expected it to be. Shitty kept shooting looks at Jack and having these silent conversations, which Eric assumed was about him. Not once did Jack yell at him, or anyone. He raised his voice- certainly, but did not yell.

It seemed as if the team had somehow moulded together and became a better version of themselves.

For once, Eric really enjoyed practice and was almost sad when it came to an end.

“Alright. That’s it for today.” Jack announced. “Can I see you after, Eric?”

Shitty shot a warning look at Jack who mouthed a few words at him.

“Yeah sure.”

After Eric had showered, he approached Jack who was skating lazy laps on the ice.

“Hey.” Eric said as he leaned on the barrier. “What did you need?”

“I was thinking maybe you and I could do practice, one on one?” Jack suggested. Eric eyed him carefully, not sure what Jack was insinuating. Possibly that Eric was, as he had said, a terrible hockey player and needed more practice. “You’re a good player, Eric. I’d just like to get to know your playing style and form a bit better.”

Eric nodded at Jack. This could be a better way to get to know his captain better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Hope you enjoy and another one will be on its way soon.


	7. Check mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Checking clinic and Eric gets checked

Eric was awoken to his phone ringing. It was trilling so loud, Eric had the sudden thought of throwing it across the room. Sun had not yet begun to filter through his curtains. _How early was it?_ When he picked up his phone, he saw that Jack was calling him.

“Yeah?”

“Meet me at Faber in half an hour.” Jack said gruffly. Eric groaned and agreed. When Jack had said he wanted to do one on one practices, Eric didn’t think that Jack would be waking him up at five in the morning. What kind of monster would want to practice this early?

When Eric arrived at Faber, coffee from Annie’s in hand, Jack was already there setting up. He shot Eric a slight look of disapproval. If Jack was going to drag him out of bed at this god awful hour, he sure as hell was going to get a coffee. Eric drained the last of it and began lacing up his skates.

They did some drills, passed the puck back and forth until Jack directed Eric to take the puck to the other end of the rink. Eric did so, and about half way down Jack slammed him up against a wall.

**1914**

Eric gasped when Xavier pressed him up against the closed door. Eric didn’t expect it. One minute they were entering the apartment, the next Eric was against the door and Xavier began kissing Eric’s neck. Eric groaned loudly at the sensation and his hands began to explore Xavier’s body. They had spent the day together down at the beach, and Eric hadn’t been able to take his eyes of the expanse of Xavier’s stomach.

“Like what you see?” Xavier joked. Eric nodded. “Want to go back to my place?”

And here they were, kissing feverishly, barely in the door. They barely moved away from the door. Eric’s mind flooded with hundreds of thoughts.

“Xave-” Eric gasped out Xavier grinded them together. “Stop-”

Xavier pulled away immediately and looked at him. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine.”

“Eric, speak to me, please.” Xavier grabbed Eric’s hand and pulled him over to the couch. Eric took a deep breath in, and explained to Xavier that he had never been with anyone in that way. The whole time Eric spoke, Xavier was quiet, but still held his hand and gave it a squeeze every now and then. When Eric had finished rambling, Xavier kissed Eric’s hand. “I never want you to feel pressured into doing anything, okay?”

“Okay.” They pressed their foreheads together and spent the afternoon enjoying each other’s company.

**Today**

“Eric?” Jack asked, eye to eye with him. “You okay?”

Eric nodded. He was on the floor, and a few moments ago he was standing. This was the first time since he had been playing with the Samwell team that he had been checked. Eric didn’t know what happened, but he was sure he blacked out.

“You kind of passed out on me there.” Jack said.

“Sorry.”

“No don’t be. This is something I need to know as captain. Do you have a problem with physicality?” _Apparently so._ Jack reached out and helped Eric up. “You good?”

“Just a little shaky.”

“Okay. Let’s get you some Gatorade.” Jack guided Eric to a bench just beside the rink. He sat down and Jack came back with the drink for him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“About what?” Eric asked.

“The problem with physicality.”

Eric shook his head. “Could we just get back to practice?”

They practiced for a little while longer, until they had to clear the ice for a group booking. Jack was more reserved after Eric passed out, and didn’t attempt any more checks. Eric was relieved because he was sure that he would probably pass out again.

They had two games since the practices started, and Jack had sat Eric out. As much as it annoyed Eric, he understood. Firstly, it would be very embarrassing if anyone checked him and he passed out, secondly it would be very dangerous.

But they were strict with their practices. They practiced three times a week. The same time. Eric hated it, getting up so early and being slammed into the boards. He hated passing out, hated the moment of weightlessness and the absolute dread when he would see Jack coming.

“I’m just scared it’s going to hurt.” Eric blurted out one morning as they were finishing up. Jack looked at him curiously. “The checking.”

“Oh. Well you know it’s going to hurt, right? So you might as well accept that.” Eric took this into consideration, and he knew Jack was right. It does hurt and it will hurt.

But it seemed to be working, Jacks pep talk and the lessons. Slowly, every now and then he’d be slammed against the boards and he would stay upright, fully conscious.

Jack counted this as a win. So, when another game came around, Jack put Eric in. Everyone had clapped Eric on the shoulder.

“I’ve got your back.” Jack said as they left the locker room.

The game started, and Eric was ready to play, ready to show his worth. It was a hard game, the other team was paying well. But Samwell banded together and began to gain points. It was the final period, and the score was tied. Both teams were desperate score this win.

Eric managed to intercept the puck from the other team, and he was bringing it down the ice, to pass to Jack who was waiting for the assist. That’s when it happened. Eric saw him coming out of the corner of his eye, the man slammed into him and Eric felt himself lose contact with the ice. Things were going in slow motion now, he saw the horrified looks of his teammates. Ransom and Holsters eyes were wide, Jack looked green. Johnson had dropped his stick and looked like he was reaching out for Eric. Things began to speed up and Eric felt himself hit the ice and then there was nothing but searing pain and total darkness.


	8. Through the years

**1914**

“I think I met someone.” Eric said to Gloria.

“What’s his name?” She replied. Eric was taken aback. He hadn’t told Gloria that he was gay. “Eric, I know you too well. I’ve known for a while that you were gay, sweetie. I was just waiting on you to tell me.”

“Xavier.” Eric breathed. It was nice having Gloria know, and it was nice to know she accepted him. That was something that frightened him to death. Her knowing that he’s gay and her hating him for it.

“I would love to meet him one day, Eric.” She pressed a kiss to his head.

**1915**

“I hope we don’t get separated.” Eric sighed. Rain drops were dribbling down the window as the rain begun to fall harder and harder. “I don’t think I could stand that.”

“I’m sure we won’t. But if we do, it’ll be okay.” Xavier reached across the car and pressed a hand to Eric’s cheek. “But I don’t want to think about that now, we are going on a trip.”

“Alright, alright.” Eric laughed. He was nervous about this trip. This might be the last time that they see each other for a while. They were being sent to training camp next week. “Rains getting heavy. Be careful.”

The further they drove, the heavier the rain got. Suddenly, there were headlights blinding Eric and he felt himself being jostled around the car. Then, there was this feeling of weightlessness. Eric almost felt like he was flying. It was almost pleasant, until they hit something solid. Both boys yelled out loudly as they realised water was pooling at their ankles.

“ERIC!” Xavier screamed. He had his seatbelt off. Eric tugged at his and found it was stuck.

“Get out of here! I’m right behind you!” Eric said, pushing at Xavier. Xavier scrambled out as the car sank deeper and deeper. Eric tugged at his seatbelt again and this time it pulled free. But it was almost too late, water was pooling up around his chest, up his chin. He took in a big gulp of air and ducked his head under the water.

It was cold and murky, and Eric could barely see the door, so he fumbled for it. The door wouldn’t budge. This was it. This was his grave. The cold, murky waters of a creek.

Finally, as if by some miracle, he was able to push the door open and swim out of the car. His lungs were burning now, and he wanted to scream, but he was savouring his very last breath. There was no way he was making it to the surface.

Suddenly, everything around him was bright. And he felt like his whole body was on fire. It burned through him, lighting every single vein on fire. Just as quickly as the flash was there, it was gone. He involuntarily inhaled, and his world went black.

The next thing he knew, his lungs were spasming, trying to bring up the water in them. He coughed loudly and Xavier rolled him onto his side.

“That’s it.” Xaviers voice was wobbly. “Cough it up.”

Eric was vaguely aware of what was going on around him, but that was mostly clouded by the ache in his chest and the pounding in his head. He wanted to tell Xavier to hold him, but when he opened his mouth, all that happened was that he brought up more water.

“I’m sorry.” Xavier said over and over, rubbing his face against Eric’s.

The ambulance came and loaded Eric into the back, Xavier came as well and held his hand the whole way there.

**1920**

Eric stood in front of the mirror, glaring at his face. He had this feeling for a while now. His face was unchanging. He couldn’t see any signs of ageing like he did in all the people he know, like he could see in Gloria’s face.

“Eric?” Gloria said from the bathroom door. “Everything okay?”

“This is going to sound insane. But please just hear me out.”

“You don’t think you’re ageing, do you?” She had come up behind him and was resting her hands on his shoulders. “Your face is no different than from when you were twenty.”

“I’m losing my mind, right? Maybe I’m just ageing well? Good genetics, perhaps?”

“Maybe. We will see how you look at fifty, hey?”

**1941**

When Eric turned fifty, and was often mistaken for a twenty year old, he realised that he truly wasn’t ageing. He had shoved that feeling so far down because it was a ridiculous thought, and if it were true it was honestly very frightening.

But here he was, on his fiftieth birthday, looking as young as ever. He had mostly accepted that he wasn’t ageing by now.

Eric, the boy frozen in time.

**1950**

Eric’s heart pounded in his chest.

The officer had his licence, the one that said he was almost sixty.

The officer looked at Eric, looked at the licence and then asked Eric to exit the vehicle.

This was it, Eric’s one way ticket to a research lab.

**1951**

He had been on the run for almost a year, going around the country, hiding, just in case anyone was looking for him. Slowly, he would build his life. He would need documents to prove who he was, and that’s how he found himself in a tall, worn down building in New York, sitting across from a woman he had learnt was the best document forger on the east coast.

“So, what documents do you need?” She asked.

“Everything.” He breathed.

“Everything? That isn’t going to come cheap, and it will take a while.” She began to write notes down on the thick notepad in front of her. She pushed the notepad towards him and there sat a figure and Eric felt sick. “That’s my fee, for all those documents.”

“Done.”

“Nice doing business with you, I’m Louise.”

**1960**

Louise handed Eric a large envelope. The last of his documents.

“Thank you.” He said, exchanging the money.

“It was good knowing you, Eric. I hope everything works out for you.” She hugged him. Throughout the decade, he visited often, picking up multiple documents from her as he could pay for them.

“You too, Louise.”

Everything was fine now, he could return to his life with Gloria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a big thank you to all who are reading this! Hope you enjoy!


	9. That's what I like to call a concussion

When Eric awoke, all he felt was the blinding cold. Slowly, his senses all came back and he realised he was on the ice, and everything had gone quiet. The usual roar of the rink had gone, and instead there was a hush that had fallen.

“Eric, can you hear me?” Jack said, hovering above him. Eric nodded, wincing with the pain in his head. Jack had placed his hand on Eric’s cheek and was looking in Eric’s eyes.

“Alright, stay still for us Eric.” The medic said as she began assessing him for injuries. Jack was pushed out of the way, and the place where Jack’s hand had been was cold. They put Eric in a neck brace, and then moved him onto a stretcher, taking him from the ice.

He was brought into the rinks medical room. As he began to warm up, pain became more apparent. His chest hurt, his shoulders ached, his head hurt. The same medic that had met him on the ice was now assessing him. Lights were shone in his eyes, he was asked a multitude of questions.

“What’s your date of birth, Eric?”

“Fifth of May.”

“When?” She asked him.

“1891.” He replied hazily. Things were still fuzzy, and he felt as if he weren’t really in the room.

“You definitively have a concussion, so we are calling an ambulance to come take you for scans, okay?” The team doctor said, handing Eric a cup of water. Eric hummed in agreement, but his heart picked up a few beats. Hospitals were dangerous for him. The potential of being caught out increased exponentially. While he did pay a lot of money to have an identity set up, it was always a possibility for him to be found.

So he had to be careful about what tests were done and what questions were asked.

He was loaded into the ambulance and Jack stayed with him.

“You doing okay?” Jack asked him. Eric didn’t want to speak. Every movement hurt his body. He whimpered slightly, and then Jack grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Squeeze twice for yes, once for no, okay?”

Eric squeezed Jacks hand twice. As much as he wasn’t okay, as much pain as he was in, Eric didn’t want Jack to worry too much more.

~*~

No broken bones, no fractures, just a mild concussion. The doctor said he had been pretty lucky and sent Eric home, after explaining about concussion care to him and the captain of a hockey team. Talk about mansplaining.

“Look,” Jack said, helping Eric into the Uber. “We are going to go back to the Haus, and I’m going to make sure you’re okay.”

“Okay.” Eric didn’t protest.

~*~

When they got back to the Haus, Jack sat Eric down on the bed. Eric had slowly started coming back to his senses, and when he realised where he was he felt the need to bolt. He didn’t want to be at the Haus with people watching him all the time. That’s where problems can happen, where people can stumble into his secret.

“I’m going to sleep on the floor.” Jack said, pulling blankets from his closet and piling them on the floor.

“Jack no, I’ll sleep on the floor.” Eric protested.

“You have a concussion, Bittle. Stay there while I get the air mattress.”

Every few hours, Jack would wake Eric up to check that everything was okay, and they would both roll over and fall asleep again. After being woken up for a third time, he fell asleep into the clasps of a dream.

~*~

Eric was resting when there was a knock at the door.

“Eric,” Gloria said, coming into his room, holding a telegraph. Eric felt a chill run down his spine. “I am so sorry sweetheart.”

_1917, November._

_Mr Bittle._

_Before his departure, Xavier had written a list of people who he wished to be advised if anything had happened to him during the war._

_I am so sorry to advise you that I have received a letter saying that a bomb had been dropped in the location at which he was stationed and Xavier is unaccounted for._

_We thank you for your friendship with Xavier and are sorry to deliver this news._

Eric screamed.

That’s all he could do.

The guttural sound tore out of him, and he couldn’t stop it. Gloria had come to him and held him tightly. His whole world had stopped. His Xavier had died, and he couldn’t handle it. Eric would never see that smile, his floppy black hair or his dazzling blue eyes ever again. How could he live in a world without him.

“ _He’s gone.”_ He screamed.

“I am so sorry baby.”

_It should’ve been me. It should’ve been me. It should’ve been me._

~*~

“Eric, Eric!” His eyes flew open and he looked up at the person who had woken him up. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. He thought, for a moment, that he was looking at Xavier. But he quickly realised that it was Jack standing above him. He looked around, and the rest of the Haus had gathered at the door. “You okay?”

“Bad dream.” But it was more than just a dream. It was a painful memory, something that tore him apart, even to this day. He sighed and sat up, apologising to everyone and telling them to go back to bed. Reluctantly, they all did. Once Jack had closed the door, he turned to Eric.

“You were screaming.” Jack noted.

“Bad dream.” Eric supplied.

“You were saying a name, Xavier…”

“Someone I knew long ago.” Eric only offered that as an explanation. “Sorry for waking you.”

“If you ever need to talk.” Jack said, hoping back into his makeshift bed on the floor.

He healed over the next few weeks. Most days he nursed what felt like a migraine, and went to his doctor visits. He had stayed at the Haus until Jack was satisfied that Eric was okay.

He and Jack had gotten closer, that was for sure. Jack seemed like he was no longer on edge around Eric, and they often fell into comfortable conversation.

“I’m so sorry.” Jack said one morning while Eric was making coffee. “I said I had your back.”

“Jack- he was a brute of a player.”

“But I said-”

“Jack. You did have my back. You took care of me when I needed it.” Eric set a cup of coffee in front of Jack. “So thank you.”

But soon the semester break came, and Eric was left alone.

He forgot how isolating it was. Being alone. And he almost couldn’t believe how long he had done this for.

**1957**

Eric sat at the bar, drinking alone, like he always did on a Saturday night. This was the only time he allowed himself some sort of connection with the world. He would engage in conversations with the people sitting beside him for a few hours, listening to the revolving door of stories.

But one Saturday night in particular, Eric felt a deep sadness pull at his chest.

It was Gloria’s birthday.

She would be 76 years old.

Unlike Eric, her age showed. Her hair was now grey and her long, slender hands were wrinkled. Eric wondered what she looked like now. He hadn’t seen her in six years. And he didn’t know when he’d see her again. Well, _if_ he’d see her again.

**Today**

After the semester break, the team was shocked to find out that Johnson had decided to leave the team, stating that “the author needed to use me as a plot device, to help move things along.” He had promptly given Eric dibs.

“Dibs?” Eric asked some of the boys who had been sitting on the lawn.

“Bro!” Shitty shouted. “You have a room at the Haus!”

“I- what?” Eric was well and truly confused now.

“Come sit down my petal.” Shitty tapped the ground next to him. Once Eric was seated, Shitty began to explain the concept of dibs, and soon Eric came to realise what that meant. He just lost the privacy of his single room. There was no way he could turn down the offer, not when Shitty was explaining how big of a deal it was to be offered dibs in the first place, and the things people would do to get the so called dibs.

But Eric didn’t want to turn down the offer, in fact, Eric couldn’t wait to move into the Haus. The only problem was breaking it to Lardo.

“What!” she yelled. “We are neighbours!”

“I’m sorry.”

Jack had kindly offered to help Eric move his stuff into the Haus. Over the year, Eric had accumulated more things than he ever thought he would. Textbooks, class readings, notebooks, a book bag. He even collected some knick-knacks.

Just as Jack put a box on the bed, a photo album slid and hit the floor, and an old, sepia photograph fluttered out. Eric recognised it instantly, and his heart almost stopped.

Before Eric could do anything, Jack had bent forward and picked it up. He looked at it curiously, and then stared at Eric for a moment.

“Who… is that?” Jack questioned. Eric could see the confusion on Jacks face, after all, that old photograph was of Eric and Gloria, just before he boarded the train in 1915. It was a hard moment, saying goodbye. But it had to be done.

Gloria had tears in her eyes, but she was proud of Eric, she told him so at least a hundred times.

Finally, after the photo was taken, Gloria turned to Eric and grabbed his face and said to him, “Come back to me.”

“My Great Grandfather.” Eric said, hand outstretched. Jack didn’t hand the photo over though. He kept looking at it, waiting for a secret to be revealed.

“You two look a lot alike.” Jack commented. _Well duh, it’s me._

“Yeah, my grandma always thought so. She gave that to me.” Eric reached out again and took it from Jack and slipped it away. “But anyway, uh, thanks for helping.”

Eric ushered Jack out of the room, closing the door and sighing heavily. That was the closet anyone had been to uncovering his secret in many years.

How could he be so stupid? Letting people into his life like that.


	10. Who is XZ?

**1915**

Eric was cooking for him and Xavier when he felt two arms wrap around him.

“What’s for dinner?” He asked, biting at Eric’s neck.

“Roast chicken and vegetables.”

“I was hoping you’d say yourself.” He laughed in Erics’ ear, the breeze of his laughter tickling his neck. He liked this, the intimacy between them. In all honesty, he had resigned himself to being alone his whole life.

“Dessert, maybe?” Eric spun around, pressing his lips to Xaviers. He chuckled against his lips and pushed Eric up against the counter.

“Entrée?” Xavier suggested, peppering Erics’ face with kisses. Eric loved this, he enjoyed the attention and the way he felt when he was with Xavier. Slowly, Xavier went down on his knees and began to mouth Eric over his pants. Eric groaned loudly, gripping onto the sink.

“For the love of God Xave, get your mouth on me already.” Eric moaned and Xavier laughed loudly.

“Bit eager, hey?”

~*~

After Eric had served up dinner, he and Xavier sat down at the small dinner table. They were chatting lightly, and Eric could sense that there was an unease with him.

“You okay?” He asked.

Xavier nodded and cleared his throat. “I have something to ask of you.”

“What is it?” Eric felt his breath catch in his throat as Xavier slid from his seat and down onto one knee. “Xave-”

“Eric,” He said shakily. “I love you, so much. Even though we have been together only a short time, I know that I love you. And I know, I know that we cannot marry legally. But what I can do is promise my heart to you, forever and always. With uncertain times ahead of us, I know for certain that I need you. I cannot imagine my life without you.”

Eric was crying. Looking down at this man, with such love and adoration on his face, Eric realised that this is all he wanted in the world. Eric found himself nodding, and sliding down to the floor with Xavier. Eric nodded at him, and Xavier pulled out a small ring box from his pocket. He opened it, revealing a simple, solid gold band.

“There’s an inscription inside.” Xavier said, showing Eric. Eric took the ring and looked inside and saw Xaviers initials, and next to them were the words _forever and always_. Eric could barely read it past the tears, but it was there.

“Forever and always.” Eric whispered, sliding the ring onto his finger. The two clashed together, kissing each other fiercely, as if it were the last time they would ever see each other. They kept whispering that they loved each other, and it was true.

**Today.**

Eric was panicking.

Big time. He was panicking so much he could have trade marked it.

He had taken off Xavier’s ring to bake and put it on the windowsill. But he had forgotten about it. Eric had gone back up to his room to get some study done, and when he had gone to fiddle with the ring like he always does. But it wasn’t there.

Eric was turning the kitchen inside out looking for it.

_Where could it be?!_

Things were everywhere and Eric was on the floor, utensils scattered around him. He was crying now. That ring meant so much to him. Even though Xavier was gone, and had been for a while, the ring reminded Eric of everything they had, their love, their friendship. It reminded Eric of him.

“Eric?” Jack asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Jack!” Eric startled, standing up and wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry about this mess. I’ve seemed to misplace my ring!”

“The little gold band?” Jack asked. “I saw it down here earlier and I didn’t know whose it was, so I put it in my room to keep it safe.”

Relief flooded Eric’s system as he followed Jack up to his room to get the ring. Jack hesitated before handing Eric the ring, looking at the engraving inside.

“X and Z, initials?” Jack asked, plopping the ring into his hand.

“Uh, yeah.” Eric was weary. He didn’t want Jack asking too many questions.

“Cute.” Jack smiled. Eric was relieved when Jack didn’t prod for a name. That would be something he didn’t want to get into. “So uh, I was wondering if you wanted to continue checking practices?”

Eric agreed, but he would like to note it was very reluctantly.

~*~

Eric wasn’t too surprised to hear Jack knocking on his door at five in the morning, but Jack was very surprised to find that Eric was up, dressed and ready to go.

“Wow Bittle, I’m surprised to see you ready.”

“I’ve got to stop and get coffee.” Eric stipulated. Jack just laughed, his blue eyes crinkling as he did so. Eric’s heart skipped a beat.

“After, I promise.” Jack said. Even with the promise from Jack, Eric didn’t stop complaining. He wanted coffee, but Jack was strong willed and bigger than Eric.

They walked towards Faber together, Eric still complaining about the lack of coffee.

When they got to the area they started off with checking practice. Even after everything with his concussion, Eric found himself able to take a check with no problem at all. He and Jack were both surprised, but also very happy. Once they both realised that checking practice was no longer needed, they simply stood there.

“Well,” Jack said after a moment, “we still have the ice booked for another hour or so, we could run some drills?”

“That would be good.”

_Please god no. I better not be falling in love with a straight guy._

“So why do you work so hard with me?” Eric asked as they were running drills up. He was trying to steer his thoughts away from falling in love with Jack. “I know I’ve had trouble and all but…”

“In all honesty.” Jack said, passing the puck to Eric. “I take hockey so seriously, too seriously Shitty says. And the day I snapped at you, I had gotten a call from my dad saying hockey scouts were probably going to be hanging around this season, trying to pick me up before senior year so they can ship me off to their camps and whip me into NHL-shape.”

“So you were super stressed?”

“Not stressed.”

“Annoyed?”

“No.”

“Excited?” Eric tried.

“Anxious Eric, I was anxious.” Jack sighed. “I have really bad anxiety and I had a panic attack after I received the call. So I wasn’t doing okay and so I took it out on you.”

“Oh.” Eric said quietly. That seemed to explain a lot. Eric didn’t realise that Jack struggled with things like that.

“Like I said, I’m sorry I took it out on you.”

“Thanks for trusting me with that.” Eric said.

“Can I ask you something?” Eric nodded. “The ring…”

“Family heirloom.” Eric waved him off quickly. Eric had slipped up once, having Jack see that photo. That was too close, and there would be no more bread crumbs for Jack to follow.

After practice, they both migrated to Annies for coffee. Eric, in true Eric fashion, filled his coffee with creamer and sugar, and Jack, in true Jack fashion, filled his coffee with well, coffee.

They both chatted absently before they had to head off for class.

**1918**

Eric wasn’t coping. That much was obvious. Gloria had watched him over the last few months as he recovered from his injury. That was absolutely fine. He healed well, doctors were happy, Eric was walking fine and there was nothing physically wrong.

But after that telegram, Eric was not the same. He never wanted to get out of bed, he didn’t bake unless he was helping Gloria at the bakery.

He loved Xavier so much.

So, so much.

“Eric?” Gloria said one morning, coming into his bedroom. Eric had barely noticed she was there until she had sat down on his bed. “How are you doing?”

“I miss him so much.” He muttered. Eric fiddled with the ring. _Forever and always._

“I know sweetie. That’s why I was thinking about moving back to America.”

Eric paused. “I think that would be good."

So they packed up their life in Australia and moved back to America, and while Eric physically left, a part of him was still there, with the people he met, the relationships he forged. One part of him he did take was that of him and Xavier.

As they boarded the ship, Eric held his hand to his chest, the one with the engagement ring, and whispered, “Always and forever, Xavier Zimmerman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> A big thank you to all who are reading, abso-freaking-lutely love ya! 
> 
> I may post again before the New Year, but we will see. There's family to visit, quite a few birthdays and some house sitting to do.   
> Hope you all enjoy your holidays, and enjoy this chapter!


	11. What's your history?

When Eric had been introduced to Jack, his heart skipped a beat when he heard that his last name was Zimmerman. His mind had flooded with memories of Xavier. But he knew that it was not the Zimmerman he had once known, that name died with Xavier. Xavier was Australian, and Jack was Canadian, the two were a world away from each other. 

Over the previous few weeks, Eric had grown closer to Jack. He wasn’t so stiff and gruff, rather he was kind and often made jokes.  
  
“You need to eat more protein, Bittle.” Jack said, pushing a plate of scrambled eggs over to Eric. Jack had said it with a light laugh to his voice, and Eric had replied with a scowl. 

~*~

  
The Kegster was in full swing, and to Erics’ surprise, Jack had appeared downstairs. He was holding onto a beer, one that Eric was sure he had been holding all night, looking uncomfortable as a few girls had coddled up to him. His Canadian politeness had meant that he had stood there, engaging in conversation. It was almost funny, the way the girls were trying to get in his pants and the way Jack was so desperately trying to keep them on. 

“Hey Jack,” Eric said, approaching him. “I’ve got an essay to send in tomorrow and I really need someone to read over it for me.”  
  
“Uh...”  
  
“Sorry ladies, I’m stealing him.” The girls all pouted and he grabbed Jack by the arm and steered him away. Jack made a beeline for the stairs, Eric following closely behind him. Eric opened his door and Jack followed him in. When Eric didn't make a move towards the laptop, Jack laughed lightly.   
  
“I’m going to hazard a guess here and say that there is no essay?” Jack said.   
  
“Uh, no. I hope that’s okay. You looked incredibly uncomfortable.”  
  
“I was, heh. Thanks.”   
  
“Want to watch a movie?” Eric said, pulling out his laptop and loading Netflix. There were a few movies he was keen to watch, so Eric made himself comfortable on his bed and made room for Jack. “Come sit.”  
  
Eric could barely focus on the movie, with Jack sitting so close to him. They locked eyes for a minute, and for a moment Eric could feel something between them, feel something stirring. Eric desperately wanted to stamp it out, but he knows the feeling all too well. There was no chance of it going away anytime soon.   
  
“Oh, and by the way Bittle, I found some stuff about your great grandfather.” The feeling between them snapped. Eric felt tingles go through his whole body, Jack had been searching, and he could have found out any information. Panic began to wash over him. “You two have the same name.”  
  
“Uh, yeah.” Eric laughed nervously.   
  
“He got sent home because of injury, did you know that?” Jack asked. Eric shook his head, pretending not to know. He didn’t want to say anything incriminating, or say anything that he couldn’t possibly know. “It just says bullet wound, but nothing more.”   
  
“Huh.”   
  
“And I found more photo’s too, if you want them.” Jack said. “It’s uncanny, how much you two look alike.”   
  
“Right…” Eric was panicking.   
  
“Are you okay?” Jacks voice began to fade as the panic began to grow. His chest felt tight, and fear ran through him. He never had any look into him as much as Jack had, and Eric couldn’t have his secret discovered. “Eric?”  
  
“It’s just… I don’t really want to know too much about my history.”   
  
“Oh, okay.”   
  
And like that, Jack seemed to drop the subject.   
  
Eric resumed the movie, and they both sat in silence. 

~*~

When Eric awoke, it was dark, and his laptop was no where to be seen. One thing was obvious, there were big, heavy arms wrapped around him.   
Jack. 

His heart rate picked up as he realised that he was snuggled up with Jack. Eric didn’t hate it. It had been so long since Eric had any contact with someone like this, and as nice as it was, and as much as Eric knew he shouldn’t enjoy this, he let himself enjoy it.   
But Jack was like a furnace, and he needed to get some air. So he wiggled in Jacks arms a bit, and they loosened.   
  
“Is this okay?” Jack whispered in his ear.   
  
“Yeah. I’m just really hot.” Eric whispered back. Jack laughed in his ear lightly, his breath tickling the back of Eric’s neck as he did so, and then he kicked the blankets down a bit. “That’s better.”   
  
“Alright. Go back to sleep.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey!   
> Hope you all had good holidays, and a good new years!   
> Enjoy this new chapter, sorry it's so short. But there will be a new chapter up soon!


	12. NYC

Things were different between Eric and Jack after that night, but not in a weird way. Jack was softer with Eric. Kinder. They never talked about the cuddling, and honestly, Eric never wanted to, that might bring up the conversation about his feelings for Jack.   
And this was a problem for Eric, because the smiles Jack would send his way would only further Eric’s crush. In many ways, Eric wanted to run. His whole life, whenever anything got too much, he would just pack up and leave.   
  
But Eric was stuck here, doing a degree and trying to enjoy life once again. Running wasn’t an option this time, and in true Eric fashion, neither was owning up to his feelings.  
  
Jack had sat next to Eric during team breakfast, and had slid an extra egg and some more bacon onto his plate. They were all scattered around the Haus living room. Eric had taken a seat on the floor, he was not going anywhere near that ugly green couch, which one day, he would burn.   
  
“Eat up Bittle, it’s going to be a big day.”   
  
“Jack…” Holster groaned. “I thought you said there was no practice!”  
  
“There isn’t any.” Jack grinned. “Bittle, you ever been to New York?”   
  
_Uh, yes. I spent a long time in New York, on the run from authorities who were trying to figure out the secret of my immortality_.   
  
“OH FUCK YEAH!!! WE GOING TO NEW YORK!” Shitty jumped up, fists pumping in the air.   
  
~*~  
  
So, Holster, Ransom, Shitty, Lardo, Jack and Eric all piled into Holsters car and headed down to New York City.   
  
In all honesty, Eric missed the place. He missed the simplicity of the streets, how easy it was to navigate. He missed the hustle, the noise, he even missed the people. But coming back to New York, it reminded him of how he had spent so much time, compiling a new identity. A whole decade. He didn’t see Gloria for that whole time, and he missed her desperately. 

**1960  
**  
“Eric!” Gloria gasped, she was standing on the porch. Eric almost didn’t recognise her. She was thin, thinner than what he remembered. Her hair was completely grey and wispy. But she was still Gloria. She had a big smile on her face, and was stepping down the porch as quickly as her aging body would let her.   
As soon as she got to Eric, she hugged him so tightly he was sure his bones would break. But he didn’t mind. He had missed her so much, he almost put himself at risk to see her.   
  
“I’ve missed you.” He whispered in her ear, hugging her back. Eventually they pulled away from each other and Gloria grabbed his face.  
  
“You staying?”  
  
“Yeah. I’m here to stay.” Gloria burst into tears and dragged him inside. 

  
**Today**.   
  
They parked the car in a parking garage in lower Manhattan, and they all stumbled out, eager to stretch out their limbs after the drive. While it wasn’t a long drive, having all these big hockey players crammed into such a small space was not fun for them.  
  
They headed towards the bottom of Central Park, and even though it was their day off from training, Eric could tell Jack was going to drag them around the park, and it seemed as if everyone else could too.   
  
“Don’t you dare, Jack.” Shitty warned. Jack laughed and put his hands up in defence.   
  
They hadn’t made it too far into the park when Eric spotted the horse drawn carriages. If it was a day off from practice, Eric wasn’t going to make any more exercise for himself than necessary.   
  
Somehow, Jack and Eric ended up in the same carriage, it was a beautiful purple.   
  
“This is, uh, nice.” Jack commented. He was sitting all the way on the other side of the carriage, as if he was trying to get as much room between himself and Eric as possible.   
  
“I won’t bite, Jack.” Eric said.   
  
_Is it because this is romantic? And because I’m gay that he’s sitting this far away?  
  
_ “Ha, I know…”   
  
“Is it because I’m gay?” He asked out of the blue. He had to check. You could never know, who was homophobic. He’d been around long enough to know that, had seen it enough.   
  
“What?” Jack asked, his eyes wide as he stared at Eric. “God, no.”   
  
“You’re sitting as far away from me as possible, and these things are kind of seen as romantic. So I just assumed you wanted to make it clear that we are just friends which, I know Jack.”   
  
“I just, uh…”   
  
“Alright guys, end of the line.” The driver said, pulling the horse up. Jack jumped out quickly, obviously thankful that he didn’t have to finish the sentence, and Eric was left sitting there for a moment, wondering what Jacks problem was, especially since they had come so far. But he quickly jumped out and pretended like nothing was wrong when they joined the others who had just gotten off their own rides.   
  
When Eric reached the group, he was quickly joined in on the story Ransom and Holster were telling about their horse, who farted the whole time. Shitty was laughing so hard, he was doubled over, and Lardo was rolling her eyes.   
  
“Boys.” She mouthed at Eric, who tried to give her a smile, anything in response. But he couldn’t muster anything up, he was too busy thinking about that interaction. “Alright, Eric and I are going to go get some pretzels, but we will meet up at the Strawberry Fields in an hour?”   
  
Lardo had pushed through the group of boys, and grabbed him by the arm, steering him away.   
  
“Okay, spill.”   
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“You and Jack have been good, but things got weird with you two just now.”   
  
“Oh, uh.” Eric watched a squirrel run across the grass, before stopping and watching someone carefully. He explained to her what happened in the carriage.   
  
“Eric, I honestly have no idea what is going on.” Lardo shook her head. “Talk to him later.”   
  
~*~  
  
After they had pretzels in their hands, they found the others and finished up their walk around the park.   
  
It was as they were making their way up 58th street that Eric noticed the old man. He was staring at Eric, his eyes following him. It wasn’t long until he stood up from the bench, and hobbled over to them.   
  
“Eric?” The man had tapped him on the arm.   
  
“Uh yes, can I help you?”   
  
“It- this can’t be…” The man was shaking his head.   
  
“Do I know you?”   
  
“It’s me, Arthur.” The man was holding on tight to his cane, and looking Eric directly in his face, never blinking. 

**1945**  
  
“Hey Eric, can you grab a bag of flour for me?” Arthur was busy mixing a batch of bread. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and here Eric was, working hard.   
  
“Sure.” Eric picked up the bag of flour, and brought it over to the bench.   
  
“Thanks. Get started on those muffins for me hey?”   
  
Eric worked at the bakery for five years, up every day, six days a week, baking, cooking. Life was scary, he didn’t know what was going on with himself, but working these long hours were a good way to keep his mind off of things.   
  
He and Arthur became close, they were both really good friends, and they taught each other family recipes, and made the bakery a hotspot in New York. 

**Today.**   
  
_Panic._  
  
Eric’s friends were looking at them both curiously, watching this interaction and trying to decipher what was going on.   
  
_More panic._   
  
“Uh, I don’t know any Arthur.” Eric was trying to back track, get out of this situation.   
  
“1940’s… Angelos Bakerys?”   
  
“I’m twenty… don’t think I was alive back then.” Eric laughed nervously. The rest of the team had gotten distracted by a street performer, all except Jack, who was still curiously watching what was happening. “But, nice to meet you.”   
  
Eric walked away as quickly as possible, and Jack had come up beside him.   
  
“What was that about?” Jack asked.   
  
“I have no idea. Never met an Arthur in my life.”   
  
“How did he know your name?”   
  
“Lucky guess- oh my god did he just swallow a sword?” Eric ran over to the street performer. And just like that, the interaction gone from everyone’s mind, all except for Jacks. 

Eric Bittle isn’t who he seems, and Jack felt the need to figure it out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter... more to come!


	13. Chapter 13

“I’m sorry about what happened in the carriage today.” Jack said once everybody had fallen asleep. “I’m not homophobic, trust me.”

“I never said-”

“You were thinking it.” Jack sighed. “Just, being out in public has always been so hard for me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“And I can get so in my head, with my anxiety and everything, and I don’t always see how it affects the people around me. So, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Jack, I’m sorry too.”

The car was dark, and in the darkness, Jack reached his hand over and grabbed Eric’s.

Eric’s breathing picked up, and he grabbed back, intertwining them together on the centre console.

_What was this?_

They both sat in silence as Jack drove.

When they arrived home, Eric ushered the tired boys to their rooms. Holster had wandered towards the lounge, much to Erics horror, and so he needed to make sure no one slept on that disgusting thing, so he trailed behind them, making sure they went to their respective rooms.

Neither he nor Jack looked at each other as they disappeared into their rooms, they simply muttered a quiet ‘goodnight’, and closed their doors.

Eric held his hand to his chest, the one that had been in Jacks only moments ago. God. What was going on here?

Not even one bit tired, Eric tried to busy himself. He tidied his room, did some homework, read notes for his class the next day and even worked on an assignment he had been trying to avoid. This was all in a feeble attempt to not think about Jack.

Surprise, surprise, it did not work.

Resigned, Eric went to bed.

But surprise, surprise, that did not work either.

Eric found himself laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, still thinking about Jacks hands, and all the callouses on them from years of playing hockey. The way they were firm, yet soft, and how in a single grip it conveyed so much emotion, but at the same time left him with so many questions.

It had been so long since Eric had any contact like that, where it felt more than platonic.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, the thoughts of Jack still swirling around his mind, there was a quiet, hesitant knock on his door.

“Come in.” He said. His heart rate picked up, and every fibre in his body hoped that it would be Jack on the other side of the door.

“Jack…” Eric breathed in relief when he poked his head in.

“Hi.” Jack stood at his door.

“Come in.” Eric sat up, and they looked at each other for a moment. Jack hadn’t moved from the doorway. “Netflix?”

“Sure.” Jack was shaky, his eyebrows were furrowed. Eric got up from his bed, grabbing Jack gently by the arm and steering him into his room.

“You okay?” Eric asked, patting the bed as he made room for Jack. They both somehow fit in Eric’s bed, and they had the laptop balanced on their laps. Eric had rested his head on Jacks shoulder, and between both their bodies, their hands were once again entwined.

“I have bad days, and good days.” Jack started. “And I can feel it, a bad day.”

“What can I do to help?” Eric asked, turning his head. He and Jack were so close, that their noses were almost touching. It stirred something inside of Eric, something that hadn’t moved in a long time, _I think I may just love him._

“This. This is good.” He whispered, squeezing Eric’s hand. “I just don’t want to be alone.”

 _Me either._ Eric thought. _Not anymore._

~*~

Eric woke in the middle of the night, the room was dark. Jack had wrapped himself around Eric, and had his chin resting on Erics head. As he slowly came to consciousness, he realised there was a certain _prodding_ against his ass.

Eric shuddered, and tried to get out of Jacks grip.

“Don’t go.” Jack whispered. “You’re warm.”

_Oh god. He has no idea._

Eric tried to move again, but in doing so, brushed against Jack, who gasped at the feeling. They both paused for a moment, neither wanting to break the tension that had built up in the room in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, Jack sat up, pushing himself as far away from Eric as he possibly could. His breathing picked up, and he began to shake.

“I’m your captain, and I’m sorry if I’m making you feel uncomfortable.” Jack admitted. “It’s wrong. Me coming in here and getting into your bed and just, I-”

“Jack, no, listen to me…” Eric said, moving himself closer. Slowly, Eric reached out, grabbing Jacks face, and pressing his mouth to his. Jack hesitated at first, surprised by what was happening, but slowly and surely, he leaned into the kiss. It was slow, neither of them willing to do more than simply accept each other.

Before the kiss turned into something more desperate, Eric pulled away. This was a big leap he was taking, and a dangerous step for himself. For so long he had been closed off from others. Having nothing more than flings here and there. But this, it felt different. For once, he felt like he could.

“Is this okay?” Eric asked.

“I was going to ask you the same question.” Jack laughed lightly, moving into the middle of the bed and pulling Eric on top of him. Eric laughed lightly and pressed their foreheads together. Despite the darkness of his room, the light of the full moon was filtering in, illuminating the blue of Jacks eyes, and Eric felt himself getting lost.

**1915**

They were so close, Eric could see the green amongst the blue of Xavier’s eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I love you.” Eric whispered, his eyes quickly glancing at the ring on his finger. The two were pressed together as they danced around Xaviers small living room. This was something they did often, dancing together, enjoying these quiet, intimate moments.

“Love you too.” Xavier murmured, kissing Erics head.

**Today**

The kiss intensified, and Eric ground down on Jack, who gasped when they pressed their erections together. His heart was beating rapidly, and Eric was almost sure that his heart was going to beat out of his chest in an almost comedic, cartoon fashion.

“God, my heart is beating so fast.” Eric laughed. Jack grinned at him and placed a hand against his chest.

“Nervous?” Jack asked, and when Eric nodded, he laughed lightly. “Heh, me too.”

“I just…” Eric sighed.

“What?”

“What is this? Is this a one-time thing or…?”

“No. Well, I don’t want it to be. I like you.”

“Oh. Good. Me too.” Eric was smiling widely, and for the first time in a long time, he decided to let himself fall and not worry about the consequences.

“I am really tired though.” Jack admitted. “Let’s just go to sleep, eh?”

Eric grinned, happy with that decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!
> 
> I am back! Sorry this chapter isn't super long, but I will admit, this chapter is super busy!!!! 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Lot's of love, 
> 
> Elenora xxx


	14. Im an old man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ho! I am back... 
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter and I'm sorry it took so long to get this up. Do tell me what you think!
> 
> Nora xxx

Waking up next to Jack was a feeling that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was more than just a feeling of warmth. It was the feeling of safety. It was the feeling that someone was there for him, that someone was there with him. Through any challenge.

Even though Eric’s major challenge was _immortality_ and _how the hell does one even gain immortality?_

“Morning.” Jack whispered in Eric’s ear.

“Morning.” Eric replied. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m doing okay.” Jack grinned. They had both rolled over and were now facing each other. “I like this, waking up next to you.”

“Me too. But certainly not in this twin bed.”

Jack laughed, and Eric was quick to cover his mouth.

“Shhh.” Eric warned, rolling over and sitting on top of Jack. “We don’t want anyone to hear us.”

“Right.” Jack sighed.

~*~

The next week went by in a weird bliss for Eric.

He and Jack would sneak kisses and steal touches. Behind closed doors their hands would freely roam and they felt safe behind the flimsy locks on the Haus doors.

But as a certain date loomed near, Eric couldn’t help but miss Xavier.

And so, in the quiet of his room, late one night, Eric took a postcard from his bedside drawer and held it close to his chest. He let the tears fall silently, not wanting to alert anyone of his distress.

“I miss you.” He whispered. “I met someone, and, I hope that its okay. I’m trying to move on, I really am. But I don’t think I can let go of you, not completely.”

That night, Eric cried himself to sleep. Torn between his past and his future.

~*~

The next morning, as Eric came back up to his room with a cup of coffee to find Jack sitting on the bed. He was still, unable to move. He barely even looked up when Eric walked in.

“What’s this?” Jack said, post card in hand. Eric recognised it immediately.

“A post card.” Eric laughed, trying to play it off.

“Why does it say, ‘ _To my one and only, Eric,’_?” Jack asked.

“Oh, it’s from my-”

“So, you’re just going to make up an excuse? Cool. Lie to me Eric, see if I care anymore.” Jack sighed and stood up, discarding the post card to the side. “I can’t do the lies. I get people have secrets, but the lies Eric?”

“Jack-” Eric tried to grab for him, but Jack pulled away.

“Don’t touch me.” Jack snapped. “I’ve been down this road before and I can’t do it again. I’ve been cheated on once and never again-”

“I’m not cheating on you Jack! I promise.”

“Then what?” Jack demanded.

“Check the date on the post card.” Eric sighed.

Jack walked past Eric and picked up the post card. Jacks eyebrows drew together.

“I don’t get it? 1915?”

“Please just…” Eric breathed in, and then breathed out. Jack stood frozen in the door way, his bright blue eyes staring into Eric’s soul. Some say that you have a pinnacle moment in your life, the exact point in time where everything changes, whether it be for the better or for the worse. For someone who has lived as long as Eric, he has had many. His parents dying, Gloria taking him in, enlisting in the war, meeting Xavier, saying forever and always, saying goodbye, and now this. This was another moment. “Stay. Let me explain.”

~*~

So Jack stayed. He looked through the bits and pieces of Eric’s life, parts that were not from this century. Photographs from over the years, ones of him and Gloria, some portraits of himself. Letters with dates, telegrams. Small pieces of his life shoved into a box. Slowly, it began to get clearer. But for some reason, Jack couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t believe it. He was a rational person.

“I was born in 1891.” Eric said. “I am not twenty, like you and everyone thinks I am. I am one hundred and twenty seven years old. And I don’t know how or why, but every year I keep getting older, but never _actually_ get older.”

Jack sat there, wide eyed.

“Jack? I know it’s insane-”

“It is insane. But, there’s all this evidence. All this… stuff.”

“If you need time, Jack. I understand.”

“Yeah, uh, I think I do.”

And time Jack took.

Jack had left Samwell and headed to Montreal over Christmas, leaving Eric alone at the Haus. Being alone at Christmas stopped being so hard a decade after Gloria had died. There was a certain quality to being alone at that time of year that Eric had come to admire and appreciate.

So being alone again felt like a sense of normality had returned.

Eric baked, he reminisced. He skated, he cried. He Skyped with the whole Haus while they were away at their various locations. He tried his hardest not to look at the little square that Jack was in. It was about halfway through the conversation when Lardo stopped the conversation.

“Eric, are you at the Haus?”

“Haha yeah, I’m stopping by to check the place before I head off again.” He said, shrugging her concern.

Jack didn’t comment. He didn’t even talk to Eric at all during the chat.

And Eric missed Jack. He hated not speaking.

And in all honesty, Eric was sure Jack would come back and they would go back to how things were in the beginning, maintaining a sense of distance, keeping their relationship to the minimum needed to keep their team dynamics.

Eric was sure he had lost him.

~*~

It was late one afternoon, a few days after Christmas, but before New Year’s when Eric heard the click and creak of the front door opening.

Shitty stopped by Eric’s door, looking in.

“Eric?” Shitty asked.

“Oh! Hey Shitty!” Eric said, standing up and hugging the other man.

“Bruh, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you go home to your family?”

“Oh, uh.” This is why he hated Christmas. He either had to make up an excuse as to why he didn’t go see his non-existent family or tell people his family was well, non-existent. “I don’t have a family.”

“WHAT?” Shitty yelped. “And you let us all go? You spent Christmas alone? You didn’t actually leave?”

“Just cause I don’t have a family doesn’t mean I’m not going to let you see yours…”

“Fair point but have I given any reason for you to believe that I want to see my family?”

~*~

Shitty insisted on staying and having their own ‘Bromas’ as he had dubbed it. He took Eric shopping, getting him some new clothes.

“Thanks.” Eric said, modelling a new pair of jeans for Shitty.

“You are welcome. But, this party is missing a Jackaroo.” Shitty pressed his phone against his ear.

“Jacky boy!” Shitty greeted loudly. Shitty walked away, chatting eagerly to Jack.”

~*~

“Well, it’s a no go from Jack. He said he’s extending his stay in Montreal… uh,” Shitty looked up at Eric awkwardly, and then back at his phone where he began typing furiously. “But he just told me not to tell you that. And he is not answering any of my questions…”

“He found something out about me and needed some time.”

“Bro…”

“I get it. It was a lot to process and well, I had been lying to y’all about…”

“About what?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Eric waved him off. Shitty seemed satisfied with this answer, dropping any line of questioning that he had.

Shitty couldn’t stay for New Years. He had promised he’d meet up with Lardo at her home. He was reluctant to go, and begged Eric to come along.

“I don’t want to interfere.” Eric said, clapping him on the back and handing him his coffee in a to-go mug.

Shitty apologised and ducked out the door.

A day or so later, there was a loud bang at the front door. Eric ran down the stairs, expecting to see carnage. All he saw was Jack Zimmerman, standing there, looking behind the door at a new hole he just added to the wall.

“Jack?” Eric asked.

Jack looked straight at Eric, his mouth slightly agape. His hair was unruly and it looked like he hadn’t slept in hours.

“I think I’m in love with an old man.” He confessed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my Age of Adaline AU ! 
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a kudos and a comment.


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